Band line-up for 2014 Rose Parade announced

PASADENA - Preparations - and fundraising - for that annual march along Colorado Boulevard on Jan. 1 will start in earnest for 18 bands chosen Wednesday to participate in the 2014 Rose Parade.

Travelling from as far away as Panama and Japan and across the U.S. from New Orleans to Palmer, Alaska, the bands will converge on Pasadena to take part in the 125th Rose Parade, themed "Dreams Come True," TofR officials announced Wednesday.

They will join marching bands of the two universities facing off in the Rose Bowl Game.

The total number of bands is down from 23 in this year's parade and each band will have between 250 and 300 members, about the same as 2013, Tournament of Roses President R. Scott Jenkins said Wednesday.

"Noticeably smaller then what we had several years back - some of the bands from Texas were quite large," he said.

But, he said, "We've got some exciting bands - there's a band from Panama, and the country is celebrating the 100th anniversary of opening of the Panama Canal, so I think the country will get a lot of recognition in the coming year because of that."

The band from Carmel, Indiana, won the week-long Bands of America competition in Indianapolis last year, an event that attracts "some of the best bands in the country," Jenkins said. And for the first time there will be a band from Alaska.

"Our best information is it's the only high school band in Alaska," Jenkins said. "I think it's the nature of the geography and the climate up there that there's not a lot of outdoor marching bands."

The Alaska band's entry may have been clinched by the video required from all applicants.

"They all send a video showing how they would do the 90-degree turn" from Orange Grove to Colorado, Jenkins said. "In the middle a moose walks by. I thought, we gotta have that band - I hope they bring the moose."

Jenkins said he will start travelling to the participating bands' hometowns in March, including in Japan, where he hopes to help with fundraising.

Local bands will be well represented, he said, noting that Glendora will make its ninth appearance in the parade, and mark the 50th anniversary of its first appearance in 1964.

Along with fewer bands, the 2014 will have about 15 equestrian units, continuing the downward trend of the last few parades.

But Jenkins said the 2014 Rose Parade will have "more, and more entertaining floats" than in recent years. He expects 45 and 50 entries, up from 43 this year, underlining the uniqueness of the parade's floral floats.

"But you can't have a great parade without great bands," he said. "I don't want in any way to diminish the place of bands and I don't mean to suggest in any way that horses and bands don't add to a great parade."